6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 30-APRIL 5, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH What if a letter of no confidence is submitted to a public agency, but never acknowledged—was it really even received? That is the question nine medical providers at Soledad Community Health Care District are asking four months after first hand-delivering a letter to board members at their homes on Nov. 25, 2022. The signatories voiced concern about CEO Ida Lopez Chan: “Despite numerous concerns expressed by patients, employees and providers, the CEO has not…been open to any clinical input regarding decisions affecting patient safety, and has created a hostile working environment,” they wrote. (Lopez Chan declined to comment, writing via email that the issue is a personnel matter.) The letter was re-delivered by email on Feb. 22, but still has not been publicly acknowledged. The board next meets Thursday, March 30, and no such correspondence appears as part of the agenda, nor is the receipt of correspondence reflected in the minutes of the board’s Feb. 23 meeting. Board President Graig Stephens did not respond to a request for comment.. Good: The redevelopment of parts of Marina on the former Fort Ord continues. On March 21, Marina City Council got to weigh in on a long-planned community park, to be located just south of 8th Street and west of 2nd Avenue, that was part of The Dunes development plan the council first approved in 2005. Now that the derelict military barracks have been cleared from the area, a vision for the 11.5-acre park can finally be realized. A consultant for the city presented four options to the council ranging from roughly $23.8 million to $27.7 million. They all had a lot of common elements— an amphitheater, a playground, beach volleyball, bocce and tennis and pickleball courts—but the main difference between them was whether they had ballfields, or how many. The option the council selected, in a 4-1 vote, has one ball field that will be able to field baseball, softball and soccer games. GREAT: In the face of recent disasters, there is hope for a countywide relief program for farmworkers who are not eligible for state or federal disaster relief. On March 21, the Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to recommend approving a pilot program that would authorize a community organization to distribute $500 cash payments to up to 300 people, and to make $800 payments directly to landlords for up to 100. The county would spend up to $340,000 for the pilot, which would last 90 days or until funds are exhausted, whichever comes first. The initiative returns to the board on April 11 for a final vote. “We need to put the resources out there at soon as possible,” Supervisor Luis Alejo says. If approved, Catholic Charities will administer the program; the nonprofit received 2,000 requests for assistance after January’s storms, with the largest portion (48 percent) seeking rent assistance. GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK THE WEEKLY TALLY Capacity to which Lake Nacimiento is full, as of March 27. Rainfall at the reservoir this winter is 17.58 inches and counting, compared to 7.5 inches the same date last year, and 9.11 inches for the entire season in 2022. Source: Monterey County Water Resources Agency 91% QUOTE OF THE WEEK “This is the way the company repays them.” -Luis Argüello, a spokesperson for Laborers’ Local 270, speaking on behalf of striking trash haulers employed by Waste Management. The union went on strike on March 27, in response to the union’s claim that management had threatened to fire some members if they went on strike (see story, mcweekly.com). BEST SUMMER EVER! THE CITY OF MONTEREY FOR MORE INFO + REGISTRATION MONTEREY.ORG/REC OVERNIGHT CAMP DAY CAMPS TODDLER CAMPS SPORTS CAMPS AND MORE! REGISTER NOW SCAN ME!
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